Monday, February 2, 2015

There is something –
may be its open society, great friends, endless cycle tracks, inter connected canals,
AFC Ajax, trams which passes through the narrow lanes of the city - entices me
about this beautiful city. Netherlands literally means 'Low countries' or
'Lowlands’, with more than half the country at or below sea level, the Dutch
are pioneers with water management. Wonder how the land is protected, it’s with
the help of dikes, an engineering wonder.

My personal favorites
about Amsterdam are

1.Biking, the best way to get around: Dutch never stops biking, be it snow or rain
you would encounter a Dutch dashing across the streets on the red biking track.
There is a continuous network of cycle paths, clearly signposted, well
maintained and well lit. This makes cycling itself convenient, pleasant, and
safe. Netherlands is relatively densely populated and very flat country, which
means that journey distances tend to be short. The cool climate means that one
can cycle short distances without breaking into a sweat. Don’t be surprised if
you see politicians, corporate leaders biking to work.

2.World class museums: Amsterdam is home of the some of the worlds renowned museums, it would be a
big loss if you miss out any of theseduring
one’s stay

Van
Gogh Museum: Houses the world's best
collection of the Van Gough’s work.

Rijksmuseum:
The Netherlands' largest museum and
is home to many famous works by Rembrandt.

Anne
Frank House: Tells the story of the
famous teenager who kept a diary while hiding from the Nazis during World War
II in the house where the museum is housed.

3.A lots of
canals: The Dutch capital has more
than 160 canals and over 1,250 bridges. One must take some time out on a stroll
along the different canals, admiring the houseboats, row houses and
architecture along the way. Netherlands are also pioneers in bridges
that opens, to let boats through. I do not mind spending all day
wandering along the canals, getting lost in the small streets lined with
beautiful, old canal houses. They are enchanting by night, by day, even when it
was raining – just make sure to watch out for the zipping bikes.

4.Brown Cafes & numerous restaurants: While Amsterdam is better-known for its
cafes that sell weeds, hash and marijuana, the city has older cafes known as
brown-cafes. These are traditional Dutch bars that get their name from their
brown-stained caused by all the cigarettes smoked in them over the years.
They're a great place for a coffee or a beer.Like in most capital cities, the Dutch capital has a seemingly endless
number of restaurants, and you get to choose from everything from Greek cuisine
to Thai, Indonesian to wide varieties of steak. Something unique that you find
only in the Netherlands is a chain of fast-food restaurants called Febo. The
way they work is simple - you choose what you want from a host of small
compartments in each restaurant, you pop in your coins into the slot and enjoy
the food.

5.A visit
to a dike: if you appreciate
engineering marvels you should not miss out exploring a dike, a visit to
volendam, a fishing village, close to Amsterdam would perfectly fit this. A
dike is generally formed with the help of bags made of polypropylene. Sand is
the easiest material to fill in the bags, though any available earth or clay in
the vicinity can also be used. Besides these basic materials you would also
need polyethylene sheets to help to make the dike impermeable.

Compared to London or Paris, Amsterdam is still small, but
has lots to offer.